The Letter
by x-bellatrix-black-x
Summary: It's the Christmas Holidays for Bellatrix, and she decides to prove herself to her family by writing to the Dark Lord to see if she can join the Death Eaters. One very early January morning, she sits, tense and waiting for her letter. Short oneshot.


_Wrote as chapter one of a long Bellatrix Black fanfic that I got bored with because - well, I got depressed over Sweeney todd if you must know. Just a little thing about our dear Bella writing to the Dark Lord asking to join the Death Eaters, some time in the Christmas Holidays. I love this piece and just Had to post it, so - enjoy, and please review! -- x-bellatrix-black-x_

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**THE LETTER**

An owl hooted somewhere in the distance and a bat soared across the inky blue sky in the light of the pale moon. The window still remained open, the cold January air blowing into the room, disturbing the curtains in their lifeless slumber.

Curtains blown fully open; the moonlight flitted across the bed. Black silk and fine shawls were draped over the canopy so that they hung quite gently down, surrounding the bed. That itself was smothered in black bed linen, sewn together like a patchwork quilt but without colour. Even the walls were black. The dressing screen; black; the fabric laden upon it; all black; the dressing table; that was covered in black lace too, so it was impossible to see the deep brown wood underneath it all; even the mirror above it; just a shimmer of light, thought still intensely decorated with random black feathers and beads, forming a boarder. In fact, the only thing in the room not completely black was lying, covered from the waist downwards, in the bedclothes. It was such a huge contrast.

White pearly skin, high cheekbones, heavy lidded eyes, her hair coal black. The only thing in the entire room that wasn't entirely black. Yes. Lying with her thin structure wrapped up in the bedclothes, her head resting peacefully on her shoulder, the covers that lay upon her rising up and down with every breath she took … lying in the bedclothes was young Bellatrix Black.

The moon was suddenly obscured from view as a dark, heavy raincloud drifted over from the North. Steadily at first, rain splattered the ground. The wind picked up and began to blow large cold drops through the open window and within 15 minutes, thunder had started to crash down.

The young girl shivered and awoke with a jolt from her sleep. Her dark eyes prayed around the room for a few moments before they fell on the window, and the thin black material that was the curtains flapping madly around in the violent wind.

Bellatrix swung her legs over the side of her bed and stood up immediately, her nightdress falling back down to its original position by her ankles. She scrambled over to the window and stuck her head out. The eyes scanned the now dark, grey sky. There was nothing. She glanced back into the room, but the darkness had swallowed everything, including the clock.

With a cry of frustration, Bellatrix hurried over to her bedside cabinet and grabbed her wand. Spinning back round, she pointed it into the darkness, to where she knew the small gas lamp was.

"_Incendio_." she muttered, and the lamp burst suddenly into a flame of red hot fire.

Satisfied, she scuttled over to her clock. 4:22 – the letter should've arrived already! But it hadn't! Thoughts rushed instantly to her mind.

What if he'd forgotten? Never received her letter? What if he'd declined? Not bothered to send a reply? Bellatrix started to panic at once. Her only chance to change the world may have been rejected … and if it had, then what? She couldn't think straight; her only chance to work for that amazingly powerful man … gone … but no! She couldn't – she wouldn't – let herself be humiliated like this! Everyone else she knew had got in!

"Then why not me?" she screamed angrily to no one in particular, "Why not – "

An owl soared past her ear, clutching a very wet letter in it's inch long talons. Bella's heart jumped to her throat. This was it!

It took almost ten minutes to wrestle the letter from the bedraggled owl who, despite the constant yells of "Drop it now you bloody stupid pigeon or I'll – ow! Right that does it! DROP IT!" seemed very reluctant to let it go.

However, when Bellatrix finally claimed her letter, the owl gave a very annoyed hoot and flew out of the window, back into the rain with a very disgusted look on its face. Bellatrix watched it go until the darkness swallowed it before turning to the dripping letter. Slightly smudged, bold capital letters were printed across the front saying:

_Miss Bellatrix Black_

_The Black Room_

_Black Family House_

_Cambridgeshire_

She turned it over; stamped into the green wax was a large, malicious looking snake. Smiling to herself, Bellatrix pressed her first two fingers to her lips for a brief second before bringing them down gently upon the seal.

"Tomorrow," she whispered, placing it down on the bedside table as she climbed into bed.

She flicked her wand at the window – it slammed shut and the curtains drew themselves – and then at the gas lamp – it extinguished instantly. She slid further down into the covers and threw her wand carelessly beside the letter.

"Tomorrow."


End file.
